How to Record PRNs and PRN Outcomes

A resident's active PRNs can be administered from two locations in ALIS: the Administer PRNs page and the Pass Meds page.

Administer PRNs Page

If you are not recording a PRN administration from Pass Meds, you can always do it from your home screen in ALIS. Find the Administer PRNs icon in the Meds section.

1. Click the Administer PRNs icon. The number notification on the icon is the number of outstanding PRN outcomes.
2. On the Administer PRNs page, start typing a resident's name in the "Choose Residents" field. Click the name of the person for whom you need to document PRNs. Click the Administer PRNs button.
   • The next page shows you the health details for your resident at the top. Active PRN orders for a resident will display with an Administer PRN button.
   • Any Outstanding PRN outcomes for your resident will display above the PRNs you can administer.
   • Recent PRN history will display toward the bottom of the page if a PRN was administered in the last 72 hours.
     
3. Click the Administer PRN button.
   • Verify the date and time you gave the PRN. Update this to match the time the resident took the medication.
   • Type the purpose for giving the medication.
   • Record any other required fields such as pain scale, injection site, or patch location.
   • If you already know the outcome of giving the medication, you can enter it now. If the medication is particularly fast-acting, it may be required for you to enter the outcome during this step.
   • Click the Record PRN button.
   • You will now see a record of the PRN administration under "Recent PRN History" toward the bottom of the page.

PRNs on the Pass Meds Page

If you are already recording routine medications for a resident in the Pass Meds page, you can easily record PRNs from the same page.

1.  On the Pass Meds page for a resident, click the PRNs tab.
2. Follow all of the same steps as described above in steps 2 and 3!

PRN Outcomes

Most PRNs should have outcome requirements. These requirements are set on a per-medication basis.

You always have the option to enter the outcome if you already know the effect of giving a PRN. Most likely you will need to document the administration of the PRN shortly after giving it, and then an hour or more later, document the outcome.

The pending outcomes will show very obviously in the Pass Meds page and on the Administer PRNs icon on your ALIS home screen.

On Pass Meds, outstanding PRN outcomes display as an exclamation symbol with an alert above the total number of outstanding routine medications.

When you Pass Meds for a resident, the same exclamation symbol displays on the PRNs tab to help remind you to document the outcomes.

Type the outcome and click the Record Outcome button to remove the alert!

Related Materials:

Video: Pass Meds and PRNs

How do I edit a PRN that has been administered in ALIS?